This couple was a little tired of their balcony being so visible to the street below, so they decided to make a change. This wasn’t easy given the size of the balcony, however they managed to get creative and come up with something pretty awesome. They needed to optimize the space they had and add a little privacy, so here’s what they came up with.
The balcony was small with zero privacy so they decided to change that.
You can see just how visible it is from the street and other apartments in the area.
On a budget, they only needed a very small materials list. Heavy duty exterior drapes, some bamboo decorative fascia, some decking, and some white rocks for right around 100 bucks.
Being exterior blinds they were very heavy, so some serious hardware was needed to hold them up during anything Mother Nature had to throw at them.
They rigged up a little pulley system to hold the blinds in place as they mounted them to the exterior. They were on a small step-ladder 3 stories up.
But success! The blinds are hung.
Time to cut and install some decking over the dirty and old concrete balcony.
This decking is made for the outdoors and comes with built-in drainage to prevent any damage to the beautiful wood.
The decking is pretreated and only needs a re-coat about once every year or so.
The roll of bamboo came in a length of 1 meter by 5 meters. That’s perfect because those are the exact dimensions of the railing. This should provide some great privacy while allowing natural light to pass through.
Now how to fill the gap between the door sill and the new decking? Why not some beautiful stones that allow for drainage as well as pop out to separate the two spaces.
Finally the drapes are extended out over the balcony for a little shade and privacy.
The balcony is almost completely blocked from the streets below, while still being able to see out and enjoy the beautiful view.
Time to add a little decoration to spruce things up, adding a personal feel and a little comfort.
The view from the inside of the home has now been completely transformed into something that is beautiful and inviting.
Although it has been transformed into a beautiful private balcony, it is still beautiful from the outside and follows the decor of the building.
Now I can’t look at my balcony the same and it’s time to run to the hardware store for a little summer spruce up. This will be perfect for those warm evenings at home with a glass of wine looking over the city below. Not only does this transformation look beautiful from all sides, it is cheap to do!